Abstract: An instruction pipeline includes a circuit that can generate a hardware event to indicate conditional branches, including the direction of taken branches. The circuit can generate a forward conditional branch indicator for an opcode when a conditional branch is taken to a forward location from the opcode. The instruction pipeline includes a counter to increment in response to the forward conditional branch indicator, which will indicate a frequency of forward conditional branches for the opcode.

Abstract: A processor includes a memory subunit that includes a status register and an execution engine unit to: randomly select a load operation to monitor; determine a re-order buffer identifier of the load operation; and transmit the re-order buffer identifier to the memory subsystem. Responsive to receipt of the re-order buffer identifier, the first memory subunit is to store a piece of information, related to a status of the load operation, in the status register. The processor also includes logic to, responsive to detection of retirement of the load operation, store memory information in memory-related fields of a record of a memory buffer. The memory information includes auxiliary information (AUX) and access latency information, wherein one of the auxiliary information or the access latency information includes the piece of information, from the status register, stored in a particular field of the memory-related fields.

Abstract: A processor includes a memory subunit that includes a status register and an execution engine unit to: randomly select a load operation to monitor; determine a re-order buffer identifier of the load operation; and transmit the re-order buffer identifier to the memory subsystem. Responsive to receipt of the re-order buffer identifier, the first memory subunit is to store a piece of information, related to a status of the load operation, in the status register. The processor also includes logic to, responsive to detection of retirement of the load operation, store memory information in memory-related fields of a record of a memory buffer. The memory information includes auxiliary information (AUX) and access latency information, wherein one of the auxiliary information or the access latency information includes the piece of information, from the status register, stored in a particular field of the memory-related fields.

Abstract: Systems, methods, and apparatuses relating to circuitry to implement precise last branch record event logging in a processor are described. In one embodiment, a hardware processor core includes an execution circuit to execute instructions, a retirement circuit to retire executed instructions, a status register, and a last branch record circuit to, in response to retirement by the retirement circuit of a first taken branch instruction, start a cycle timer and a performance monitoring event counter, and in response to retirement by the retirement circuit of a second taken branch instruction, that is a next taken branch instruction in program order after the first taken branch instruction, write values from the cycle timer and the performance monitoring event counter into a first entry in the status register and clear the values from the cycle timer and the performance monitoring event counter.

Abstract: Embodiments for dynamically mitigating speculation vulnerabilities are disclosed. In an embodiment, an apparatus includes speculation vulnerability mitigation hardware and speculation vulnerability detection hardware. The speculation vulnerability mitigation hardware is to implement one or more of a plurality of speculation vulnerability mitigation mechanisms. The speculation vulnerability detection hardware to detect vulnerability to a speculative execution attack and to provide to software an indication of speculative execution attack vulnerability.

Abstract: Embodiments for dynamically mitigating speculation vulnerabilities are disclosed. In an embodiment, an apparatus includes a hybrid key generator and memory protection hardware. The hybrid key generator is to generate a hybrid key based on a public key and multiple process identifiers. Each of the process identifiers corresponds to one or more memory spaces in a memory. The memory protection hardware is to use the first hybrid key to protect to the memory spaces.

Abstract: A processor includes processing engines, at least one performance counter, and a power control circuit. The at least one performance counter is to determine at least one interrupt rate metric for a first processing engine. The power control circuit is to determine, using the at least one performance counter, whether the at least one interrupt rate metric has reached a first threshold while the first processing engine is operating at a first frequency level, and in response to a determination that the at least one interrupt rate metric has reached the first threshold while the first processing engine is operating at the first frequency level, increase an operating frequency of the first processing engine from the first frequency level to a second frequency level.

Abstract: A processor includes a memory subunit that includes a status register and an execution engine unit to: randomly select a load operation to monitor; determine a re-order buffer identifier of the load operation; and transmit the re-order buffer identifier to the memory subsystem. Responsive to receipt of the re-order buffer identifier, the first memory subunit is to store a piece of information, related to a status of the load operation, in the status register. The processor also includes logic to, responsive to detection of retirement of the load operation, store memory information in memory-related fields of a record of a memory buffer. The memory information includes auxiliary information (AUX) and access latency information, wherein one of the auxiliary information or the access latency information includes the piece of information, from the status register, stored in a particular field of the memory-related fields.

Abstract: A processor includes a memory subsystem having a first memory subunit that includes a status register and an execution engine unit coupled to the memory subsystem. The execution engine unit is to: randomly select a load operation to monitor; determine a re-order buffer identifier of the load operation; and transmit the re-order buffer identifier to the memory subsystem. Responsive to receipt of the re-order buffer identifier, the first memory subunit stores a piece of information, related to a status of the load operation, in the status register. Responsive to detection of retirement of the load operation, the first memory subunit is to store the piece of information from the status register into a particular field of a record of a memory buffer, wherein the particular field is associated with the first memory subunit.

Abstract: A processor includes a memory subsystem having a first memory subunit that includes a status register and an execution engine unit coupled to the memory subsystem. The execution engine unit is to: randomly select a load operation to monitor; determine a re-order buffer identifier of the load operation; and transmit the re-order buffer identifier to the memory subsystem. Responsive to receipt of the re-order buffer identifier, the first memory subunit stores a piece of information, related to a status of the load operation, in the status register. Responsive to detection of retirement of the load operation, the first memory subunit is to store the piece of information from the status register into a particular field of a record of a memory buffer, wherein the particular field is associated with the first memory subunit.

Abstract: A processor includes processing engines, at least one performance counter, and a power control circuit. The at least one performance counter is to determine at least one interrupt rate metric for a first processing engine. The power control circuit is to determine, using the at least one performance counter, whether the at least one interrupt rate metric has reached a first threshold while the first processing engine is operating at a first frequency level, and in response to a determination that the at least one interrupt rate metric has reached the first threshold while the first processing engine is operating at the first frequency level, increase an operating frequency of the first processing engine from the first frequency level to a second frequency level.